Jack the Giant Killer

Jack the Giant Killer
by Nathan Juran

Jack the Giant Killer
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Category: DVD
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DVD details

Actor: Don Beddoe, Judi Meredith, Kerwin Mathews, Torin Thatcher, Walter Burke
Director: Nathan Juran
Brand: MATHEWS,KERWIN
Cinematographer: David S. Horsley
Writer: Nathan Juran
Editor: Grant Whytock
Producer: Edward Small
Producer: Robert E. Kent
Writer: Orville H. Hampton
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-04-06
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

DVD Reviews of Jack the Giant Killer

DVD Review: Family fantasy with scary creatures
Summary: 4 Stars

Jack The Giant Killer is a great family fantasy movie. I've never seen the musical version, but it sounds like a hideous botch-up, and I can't believe people are disappointed because this DVD is of the original version and not some re-hash that had nothing to do with the production's original intention.

I think the film is excellent just the way it is. It's the tale of a simple farmer (Jack) who gets caught up in an evil wizard's plans to abduct a beautiful princess to be his bride. I've heard it said that the musical version was created to tone down some of the film's more frightening moments, and I can see why younger childeren could get nightmares after watching some sequences. There are several such scenes. Early on in the film, the princess is having a party and one of her birthday gifts is a miniature dancing jester in a musical box. Creepy enough to watch as it is, this ugly thing comes alive after dark and grows into a hideous giant demon. In another scene, ghostly flying witches descend on a ship to try and seize the princess, who is being smuggled away to a secret location to protect her. This sequence, involving some very freaky apparitions, genuinely frightened me as a child, especially the moment when the ghost in the guise of a skeleton in a wedding dress surprised the princess in a small dark cabin. Eek!

The animated monsters are of variable quality, ranging from the enlarged music box demon (the best) to the sea serpent that appears near the end (the worst). Maybe the money started to run out towards the end of the film! But the plot is engaging and never dull, mostly involving Jacks battle with the hammy but evil King Pendragon who has designs on the princess and is sending all these monsters to kidnap her, but also involving sub-plots such as the part where the princess is turned evil by a spell from Pendragon and almost double-crosses Jack - until the spell is broken.

All in all, tremendous fun. Yes it does look a bit dated now, and a lot of kids aren't going to be enthralled this easily any more, but it can still give an hour and a half's worth of solid entertainment.
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Description of Jack the Giant Killer

Jack rescues the beautiful princess from a giant as well as many other fantastic creatures.
Genre: Feature Film Family
Rating: G
Release Date: 6-APR-2004
Media Type: DVD
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